First Data

My small motel business uses First Data as the processing bank for our credit card sales. On February 29, 2020, First Data suddenly closed our merchant account without notice and kept our business income in the amount of $3, 839.03 from our credit card sales. I only found out about the funds held by First Data after going to the web and downloading a statement which shows the withheld amount under the label "Funding Exclusion Amount". Since then, I have been trying to get in contact with the "risk management team" at First Data without any success. Every time I speak with First Data support team, they kept insisting that they have no authority to return the money to us and further insisted that I continue to leave voice messages for the "risk management team" and wait for their response. It has been 5 months of waiting and leaving messages for the "risk management team" team, but to no avail. No one can help at First Data and there is no other way to have the money held by this processing bank returned to us whatsoever. Telling me that the only way to get our money back is by leaving voice messages and waiting for a response is simply a way to deny access to funds rightfully owed to us and its clients. This incident with First Data has resulted in heightened financial hardship and struggle for our small motel amid the last 5 months of pandemic induced shutdown and recession.

My understanding is that this may be a financial institution but I'm unsure. They appear to refer to themselves as a "credit card processing bank". If they are in fact a financial institution, I believe they are bound by various laws and strict compliance. Where should I take this complaint to in order to protect other American businesses from such kind of fraudulent banking entities?